Rigid-structured containments are employed in the processing of nuclear, biological, chemical or other material whose spread into the general environment is regarded as undesirable contamination. According to the state-of-the art, a typical containment is a glove box, which is provided with glove ports to which flexible gloves are mounted. The glove box permits a worker outside the containment to manipulate materials within the containment. Also, a glove box permits change-out of a glove without requiring opening the containment, as it can be important that the integrity of the containment be maintained. However, no method is known to permit such clean change-out with irregularly shaped fabric panels. The use of glove boxes and similar containments is increasing in both the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, as the trend is to contain the work rather than the worker.
Fabric panels are employed on containments and glove boxes for several purposes. They provide a flexible seal between two parts of the containment that move relative to each other, or that are misaligned, or that vibrate enough to ruin a rigid connection. Further, they are used on some portable containments in lieu of steel or Lexan walls to reduce weight. Additionally, they are used to cover large passage openings used to pass in and out large items. In view of these many uses, the ability to replace the fabric panel without opening the containment would be very valuable, especially on containments with more hazardous interior elements. It has been necessary to construct and remove secondary contamination barriers at the time of a change-out, which is a source of delay and expense.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a means of securing a fabric panel to a glove box or containment in a contamination-controlling manner, wherein the panel can be changed without violating the integrity of the containment.
In particular, it would be desirable to have a means of securing a fabric panel to a containment in such as way that the fabric panel can be replaced with a new one without first removing the old one.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the fabric panel clean change-out frame and method of use of this invention may comprise the following.